On the sidelines of the official visit of the President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed, carried out last Wednesday in Libya, which is part of Tunisia’s support for the democratic process in this sister country, La Presse met Othman Jerandi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, who underlined the will common to establish new traditions of coordination and consultation between the leaders of the two countries and to conceive new visions which will consolidate the process of distinguished cooperation existing between Tunisia and Libya and will lay the real foundations of a global solidarity responding to the legitimate aspirations of the two brotherly peoples for stability and development.
What is the framework for this visit to Libya?
This visit is part of the solidarity with this brother country. It renews the feeling of support and solidarity between the two countries. Since the dawn of time, Tunisia, because of its neighborhood with Libya, has maintained family ties that unite the two peoples. It has always been in solidarity with Libya and follows with great attention what is happening there and whenever the opportunity arises, Tunisia does not hesitate to come to the rescue of this brother country.
How and by what means?
You know very well that Tunisia was recently a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and whenever the Libyan question was raised, it was the spokesperson for Libya and on several occasions managed to make the voice of this country in the concert of nations and to pass several UN resolutions. That said, we were in permanent coordination with our Libyan brothers on what we should say on their behalf to defend Libyan interests.
How do you judge the result of this visit?
To qualify the outcome of this visit and to echo the words of the President of the Republic and those of the President of the Libyan Presidential Council, a new page will be opened in our relations for new reports established on cooperation, solidarity development, communication. between the two peoples and between the institutions of the two countries as well as for the establishment of new mechanisms of bilateral cooperation through a revision of the conventions ratified by the two countries, with a view to developing them and adapting them to the requirements imposed by the new challenges facing our two countries in terms of development and in all sectors, in particular anything that concerns the two countries as economic and trade questions or in terms of investment. But there are also sub-regional and international deadlines on which the two countries have agreed to mobilize in order to have common positions in the face of the questions which will arise at the Maghreb, Arab, African and international scale, especially with the Covid, we have seen that the world has changed and that we must also change according to new developments because there are new challenges, and we have no other choice than to face them united because we have common traits who urge us to act together in order to explore horizons with futuristic answers.
Have you defined the outlines of these answers?
This meeting is the first of its kind at the top and no sub-questions were discussed in detail. The results of this meeting will be the subject of further reflection in the near future through sectoral meetings where the various issues will be addressed with more technical details to seek consensual solutions that serve the interests of both countries, will consolidate the reports. and will open up new horizons. This visit is not a working visit but a political-sounding visit to express major political positions and underline the importance of relations between the two countries as well as to explore new horizons with a common and united vision with a view to ” meet the new challenges.
How do you explain the delay in organizing such high level visits?
Tunisia has never been absent from the Libyan scene but the context in this country has not allowed a visit at this level since 2011. It’s true, this is the first visit of an Arab head of state to Libya and its historical aspect is very important and carries a great message which proves that between Tunisia and Libya, the links are historic but which also eyes a promising future. And this is the greatest expression of this visit. As I mentioned before, the context was not conducive but the contact was permanent with the different Libyan parties and the Libyans themselves went to Tunisia to organize important meetings in complete freedom with the help that always has. been provided even during the greatest crises. They came here to meet and dialogue among themselves without any interference from Tunisia, whose position expressed is illustrated through total impartiality. It should also not be forgotten that the meeting between the different Libyan parties was a last step in the Berlin process and before the Geneva summit which led to the new process and the new roadmap to stabilize the institutions of the new Libyan state and establish democracy there as well as to support the completion of the new political deadlines in this country so that Libya becomes definitively the democratic neighbor who will in turn participate in the establishment of stability and peace in the region and consequently relaunch solidarity development there.
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